Researchers indicate teenagers addicted to the Internet are more likely to harm themselves than other teens

A new study indicates teenagers who are
addicted to the internet are more likely to have behavioral issues
along with a higher likelihood for self-harm.

During the study
that involved 1,618 teenagers between the ages of 13 to 18 from the
Guangdong Province in China, some of those surveyed
admitted to hitting themselves, burning, pinching, and other
forms self-abuse. People who admitted to being addicted to the
internet reportedly were 2.4 times more likely to have hurt
themselves in the past six months.

Specifically, less than one
percent said they were severely addicted to the internet, while
around 10 percent were moderately addicted.

"In recent
years, with the greater availability of the internet in most Asian
countries, internet addiction has become an increasing mental problem
among adolescents," the study noted. "Many studies
have reported associations between Internet addiction, psychiatric
symptoms and depression among adolescents."

The joint
Australian-Chinese study, carried out by the University of Notre Dame
Australia's Dr. Lawrence Lam, indicates a "strong and
significant" correlation with internet addiction and
self-harm.

So-called internet addiction -- which has
reportedly existed since the mid-1990s -- is still a grey area among
mental health experts interested in creating specific guidelines to
define internet addiction.

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